A royal expert claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are selling themselves to make ends meet.
Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist and royal correspondent, commented on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's business ambitions as they revealed two new Netflix projects. In March, Meghan introduced her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
Despite Prince Harry and Meghan's improvement, Cole believes it is a step back from where they were when they were still part of the royal family.
According to him, the Sussexes are now on their own and "very much in a marketplace" for commercial partnerships because they need to "earn a living."
"One of the ways they're earning their living is selling themselves, that is their unique selling point. The fact that they have royal status," Cole told GB News about the Sussexes' latest projects.
"And they're going to have to work at it, very hard, because they have a very expensive lifestyle. Security alone must cost a fortune. Three shifts a day of burly men guarding the perimeter of their house. Now, that burns through a lot of money."
Meghan has officially introduced the first product from her new brand: jams. She sent 50 jars of her jam collection to her friends and influencers in the United States. Tracy Robbins, a fashion designer, was among those who received the goods and uploaded a photo of it on her Instagram Story.
When questioned if Meghan's jam will "catch on" with her lifestyle business, Cole responded that if it is excellent, people will purchase it.
"I think it will. People will sign up for it. I hope the jam tastes nice, not too sugary. If it's good, then it will sell," he said. "But it is quite a step down from the pedestal they were once on."
Many nicknamed the American Riviera Orchard "The Tig 2.0." The Tig was Meghan's defunct lifestyle site, which she closed after joining the royal family. According to Cole, the blog was a "big no-no" for the royal family.
"Really what this is, is the development of the blog she had before she was engaged, which was called The Tig. It [had] to do with a special sort of Spanish wine that she liked," Cole said.
"But she closed that down for the very simple reason that when she half joined the British Royal Family, she was told she could not exploit her royal status for commercial gain, or allow others to do so."
Prince Harry and Meghan left their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to the United States. They strained their ties with the royals after leaving and conducting an interview with Oprah Winfrey and a docuseries for Netflix.
According to royal analyst Tom Quinn, Prince Harry wished to reconcile with his family following King Charles and Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis. However, Meghan was reportedly upset because she was still waiting for an apology from her in-laws.
Former Aide Confirms Palace Inquiry into Meghan's Alleged Staff Mistreatment Amidst Royal Departure
According to Express UK, Samantha Cohen, Meghan’s former aide, has stated that she was examined by Palace personnel following reports that the Duchess of Sussex mistreated and pressured employees to resign.
An internal email from 2018 detailing the allegations was leaked to The Times in 2021, just days before Meghan and Prince Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. The Duchess has consistently refuted the allegations.
Samantha, Meghan's former private secretary, spoke to the Australian magazine The Herald Sun, stating that she was one of ten staffers interrogated by Buckingham Palace as part of their investigation into the claims.
"I was only supposed to stay for six months but stayed for 18—we couldn't find a replacement for me and when we did we took them on tour to Africa with Harry and Meghan to show them the ropes but they left (quit) as well while in Africa," she added.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Southern Africa in 2019, only months before retiring as working royals and relocating across the Atlantic.
Jason Knauf, then-Kensington Palace communications secretary, sent the email to Prince William's private secretary at the time, Simon Case, in October 2018.
"I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [name removed] was unacceptable,” he outlined.
"The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y [name removed]."
